Marian Loretta Simmons, 80, died Aug. 25, 2023, surrounded in prayer and song by her loving family in Allentown, after a long and valiant fight with several autoimmune diseases.

Born in July 1943, in Fountain Hill, she was a daughter of Mervin and Alberta (Best) Sames.

She grew up in Wilson Borough, and was a graduate of Wilson High School and the Philadelphia School of Science and Art.

Before marriage, she was a medical lab technician at Easton Hospital in Easton.

After marrying the Rev. Donald C. Simmons in 1964, the couple moved to Ridge Valley, where they served the congregation of St. John’s Lutheran Church for five years.

In 1970, they moved to Fleetwood, where they diligently served St. Paul’s Lutheran Church until 2001, and where she was actively involved in numerous volunteer organizations, including many leadership positions, in both her church and community.

During that time, she also spent more than 30 years as a preschool teacher and 17 years as a Lutheran Inner Mission Hospital Visitor.

From 2001-19, she and her husband lived in Blandon and spent many years serving Schwarzwald Lutheran Church in Reading.

In 2019, they moved to Luther Crest retirement community, South Whitehall, where she became actively involved in many facets of that vibrant community.

Throughout her life, she was an avid gardener, floral arranger and seamstress, and took great delight in refining her incredible skills in numerous artistic disciplines.

She also found immense joy in cooking and baking and loved bringing people together in social events of every shape and size to share the fruits of her culinary labors.

She loved reading, traveling, decorating her home for every season of the year, relaxing on the river porch at the cabin in the Poconos, and playing all types of card games.

Her favorite activity was spending time with her family and the wide and varied circles of friends she lovingly cultivated and nurtured.

She had a compassionate heart of gold and believed the most important thing that could be done with one’s life is to serve and help other people, including strangers, who are in need of love and care.

She put that belief into practice every day of her life, in ways both large and small, and actively avoided recognition of those efforts.

She is survived by her husband of 58 years, Donald Simmons; her children David Simmons, and his husband, Michael Polscer, of Wilmington, Del., and Michelle (Simmons) Patterson and her husband, Robert Patterson, of Middletown, Del.; granddaughter Amanda Gerrick of Middletown, Del.; brother Robert Sames and his wife, Lucinda Sames, of Albrightsville, and their children Justin and Archelle; and her sister-in-law, Marilyn Simmons and her partner, William Fortmiller, of Northampton.

A Service of Eucharist in celebration of her life will take place 11 a.m. Sept. 9 in Christ Lutheran Church, Allentown.

The family will receive friends and honor of her memory during a luncheon reception in the church immediately following the service.

The family encourages attendees to wear bright colors to the service as it is a celebration of her life, which was full of beautiful colors.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests her memory be honored through the planting of trees and shrubs in the Kayhart Arboretum at Luther Crest by donating in her memory at diakon.org/kayhart-arboretum/how-you-can-help/ or by sending a check to: Luther Crest-Diakon, (mark “Arboretum Fund/Memory of Marian Simmons” on the memo line).

Send to Luther Crest Financial Office, 800 Hausman Road, Allentown, PA 18104.

Donations may also be made to Christ Lutheran Church (Memory of Marian Simmons) by sending a check to 1245 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA 18102 or by making a donation in her memory at christ-atown.org.

Condolences may be posted at stephensfuneral.com.

Donald R. Keim II